March brings another US win for PS4

PS4 was once again the best-selling console in the US for the month of March.

That takes its winning streak over rival Xbox One to 13 of the last 15 months, VentureBeat reports, with Microsoft’s only victories throughout that period coming in April and October 2015.

Thank you to our fans and partners for making PS4 the top-selling console and software sales leader for the month of March, as well as the number-one console for fans of The Division, according to NPD,” Sony said.

We are truly humbled by the success and look forward to delivering more amazing gaming experiences throughout 2016, including the launch of PlayStation VR this October.”

The overall US games market was down slightly year-on-year, falling from $968.4m in March 2015 to $964.1m this year. Hardware fell 19 per cent to $253.2m (with portable hardware sales tumbling 78 per cent) while software climbed eight per cent to $425.8m. Next-gen software sales climbed 36 per cent with sales of last-gen games halving.

New launch software, driven by The Division, jumped 26 per cent, outpacing March 2015’s Bloodborne and Battlefield: Hardline. Trailing The Division in the software charts was Far Cry Primal (2nd, making it a Ubisoft one-two), The Twilight Princess HD (3rd), Grand Theft Auto V (4th) and UFC 2 (5th). Wii U fighter Pokken Tournament finished 7th for the month.

The Division out-tracked first month sales of any former Tom Clancy title by some 40 per cent, beating previous record holder Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.